Julie Barnhill- my next new BFF!

This is my year for meeting the stars.  About 2 years ago, a group of about 10 of us read a book called "She's Gonna Blow."  It was written by julie Barnhill and was as funny as it was inspirational.  It dealt with dealing with anger that mom's can face on a daily basis.  Our mom's group was a great time of growth, as well as a time that I really grew close to a group of girls.  So, here are 4 of us with Julie Barnhil,l who spoke at the Hearts and Home conference.  So, let's see...David Crowder...Julie Barnhill...I think Ryan Seacrest is next!

Hearts at Home

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Hearts at Home conference in Escondido.  It was SO wonderful and I am SO glad I went.  We started the weekend with a little sleep over at a hotel in San Marcos.  It was nice to have a little "girl time" and to be able to get a good night sleep and laugh a lot. The day of the conference was a beautiful day and the conference was such an encouragement to us all.  Sometimes we forget the gift that our children are.  In the midst of  our own busy schedules (which we create for ourselves!), being tired, trying to be wives and super mommy, we often get bogged down by fighting and whinig kids and forget to enjoy them.  Do you remember 2nd grade?  I do and as I sit here, I realize that the memories (good AND bad) that I create for Emily will stay with her for a lifetime.  I was encouraged to slow down and make the most of my children's childhood before it is gone- for both our sakes.  I could go on and on, but it was a wonderful experience.  Here are a few picts of our day!  Until next time, give your kids and extra hug and a few minutes of your undivided attention- it'll do wonders for both of you :-)

Musicians in the making!

NAMM really is fun- even though it takes Duane away from us for a week or so. The kids had a great time playing all kinds of instruments. And Amy and I were able to rejoice in the fact that, for another year, we are no longer "Roland Widows." Welcome home again boys!

Our new friend "David"

Just call me David, he said.  Our new BFF, David Crowder.

David Crowder Band!

One of the perks of Duane's job is that he gets to meet a lot of musicians.  Today at NAMM they had a worship connection with several Christian artist.  After we went to our own church, the kids and I rushed back down to Anaheim to see the David Crowder Band.  The kids recognized some of the songs too, which was fun for them, and then we got to meet him, (Duane has already met them, but we hadn't), the kids got autographs, and we took a couple of pictures. It was really fun to get to worship...at NAMM.  LOVED IT! 

Here Comes the Bride!

My roommate from APU, Jessica, is getting married in 2 weeks to a wonderful man named Kevin.  I am so excited for her and got to help her celebrate this weekend at her shower.  I can't wait to be there as she begins this new chapter of her life.  Congrats Jess! Love you!

NAMM has begun!

So, that time of year has come. The NAMM show is upon us.  Per our tradition, we spent a night at Rainforest Cafe after the show. This year we went with Chad and Amy and Steve and Sheri surprised us by being able to come.  As always, we had a great time and the kids loved seeing daddy after 4 days without him. Here are the picts.....

The McDonalds- and Jeffy, the dog!

Oak Glen

OK- so we actually went to Oak Glen in November, but I wasn't a "blogger" yet and I just came across these pictures and wanted to share them.  There is nothing better that fun with family and friends! The kids had a great time- Emily with her bow and arrow and Landon and Austin with their marshmallow shooters.  And, I loved the picture of us "girls:" Mom, me, Susan, and Amy. Hope we can do it again.

Did I really marry that person?

They say people change and age over time....but this is NOT what I bargained for!

Fiesta with the Villafranco's

OK- we had turkey sandwiches- not super authentic mexican food, but when with the Villafranco's, one must use appropriate lexicon, so I chose to call it a fiesta.  We had a great time today hanging out and laughing over the stupid things we have done!  We were also able to witness a special concert put on by Emily, the boss, and the Heart Band- Alycia, Joshua and Landon.  What a fun treat! I told them they needed to take pictures to put on my blog and Monica made fun of me, but I know deep down she wants to be published online for all to see.  Afterall, she is my BFF! :-)

The sleep over- Did anyone sleep?

Ok, so when Landon found out Cole was sleeping over, he was excited.  Emily and Cole's sister Haylie- not as excited.  But, the kids were really good, just not very quiet, which is tough at 1am. I'm sure this is payback for all of the noise Amy and Sheri and I made telling stories and talking about Henry, "The Chinese Ghost" Amy was so sure lived at the top of the stairs- LOL.  Or the discussions about Ryan Werlich or Jeff Bruner or Seth and Matthieu. Those were the days. But, even though I am exhausted, I am glad to be giving my kids these memories.  They had a great time and giggled a lot.  I can't wait til they are old enough and I can take them toilet papering. Does anyone do that anymore?  I think I need to go sometime soon.  Hey girls, Hoffmaster still lives in the same house she did when we were in high school :-) Wouldn't that be awesome!

The kids are cute too!

Here are our munchkins.  The boys with their energy and sound effects. And the girls with their...DRAMA! This was just after eating their "dirt dessert" at Mimi's.  Hey boys, heard of napkins?  What Susan and Diane don't know is that I ended up taking four of these kids home for a sleepover.  Duane approved it, but it was a great form of birth control.  We are definitely stopping at 2! 

Girls Night Out- Take 1

OK, so far, in the new year, we have already accomplished 1 girl's night out.  Granted, Dana was missing and most of us had our kids, BUT we were able to get together within the first week of 2008!  Let's make sure we make a habit of it! You guys are a great support system to me.  Love you!

Serious boy!

You know the Build A Bear drill...stuff, give a bath and brush.  Landon was SO serious and took FOREVER to brush and cwean his dog.  If only he gave as much attention to his own appearance!  Too cute!

Build A Bear

OK- so we have built probably 20 bears between the three of us- I know, it's ridiculous, but today the kids wanted to go build bears that they themselves paid for. (Christmas proved to be quite lucrative for them this year and mommy is making them put most of it in the bank!) OK, so we didn't actually build any bears, but we built one cute dog (named "Jeffy"- don't we already have one of those in the house?) and one pink leopard named Angie Boenzi (after Em's teacher at school- they are the Lasselle leopards).  And more importantly, they had a blast.  I heard the two of them talking to their animals on the way home telling them that they were going to have to take naps when they got home.  Then they decided that since they were now "parents," they would get to do what parents do: stay up til midnight watching movies and telling scary stories, and have a midnight snack.  If only they knew how mush being an adult is NOT like that- more like dragging tired bodies to bed after long, full days.  But it made me smile.  Their innocence is so wonderful in a world that is not innocent.  They continued to talk about how grown up they were and how important it was to be good parents to their new friends and then Landon said, "I love you Emily.  I love you mommy."  How can you put a limit on an umpteenth stuffed animal that promotes such sweetness.  It was another fun day to add to our wonderful vacation.  3 days left until.......SCHOOL RESUMES!

I don't have two chins, I swear!

So here is a picture of the bowling mom's.  I will definitely have to stop taking pictures of myself from that angle.  I look like I have at least two chins.  Not the most flattering, but my friends look good. Paula was the big winner...Rae...well, she had fun, I think!

Roller skating anyone?

Um, the answer to the question "Are there any roller skating rinks still open?"  is...Not in the IE!  A couple of girls I work with wanted to go roller skating with all of our kids, but we found that roller rinks are not up and coming around here.  So we took the kids bowling instead.  We had a great time and ended our day with a trip to McDonalds - the real low point I thought  :-)- but the kids had a great time.  It's so fun to connect with "work people" in a different, fun way that involves our families.  What a great day!

Here is the product of our first official sewing effort.  On New Year's Day, we all carted our sewing machines over to my mom and dad's and set up what Duane referred to as "The Nuevo Sweat Shop."  Diane worked on her quilt, mom and Hannah worked on a skirt for her and Em and I started and finished our project.  We were so proud.  It's a little funky, but keep watching for it because she's worn it a LOT lately. More to come....